Indicator organisms and antibiotic resistance were used as a proxy to measure microbial water quality of ballast tanks of ships, and surface waters in a tropical harbor. The survival of marine bacteria in ballast tanks appeared to diminish over longer water retention time, with a reduction of cell viability observed after a week based on heterotrophic plate counts. Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes showed distinct differences in microbial composition of ballast and harbor waters. The harbor waters had a higher abundance of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) assigned to Cyanobacteria (Synechococcus spp.) and α-proteobacteria (SAR11 members), while marine hydrocarbon degraders such as γ-proteobacteria (Ocenspirillaes spp., Thiotrchales spp.) and Bacteroidetes (Flavobacteriales spp.) dominated the ballast water samples. Screening of indicator organisms found Escherichia coli (E. coli), Enterococcus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) in two or more of the ballast and harbor water samples tested. Vibrio spp. and Salmonella spp. were detected exclusively in harbor water samples. Using quantitative PCR (qPCR), we screened for 13 antibiotic resistant gene (ARG) targets and found higher abundances of sul1 (4.13-3.44 x 102 copies/mL), dfrA (0.77-1.80 x10 copies/mL) and cfr (2.00-5.21 copies/mL) genes compared to the other ARG targets selected for this survey. These genes encode for resistance to sulfonamides, trimethoprim and chloramphenicol-florfenicol antibiotics, which are also known to persist in sediments of aquaculture farms and coastal environments. Among the ARGs screened, we found significant correlations (P<0.05) between ereA, ermG, cfr and tetO genes to one or more of the indicator organisms detected in this study, which may suggest that these members contribute to the environmental resistome. This study provides a baseline water quality survey, quantitatively assessing indicators of antibiotic resistance, potentially pathogenic organisms and a broad-brush description of difference in microbial composition and diversity between open oceans and tropical coastal environments through the use of next generation sequencing technology.

Ras guanine nucleotide-releasing protein-4 (RasGRP4) is an evolutionarily conserved calcium-regulated, guanine nucleotide exchange factor and diacylglycerol/phorbol ester receptor. While an important intracellular signaling protein for CD117+ mast cells (MCs), its roles in other immune cells is less clear. In this study, we identified a subset of in vivo-differentiated splenic CD117+ dendritic cells (DCs) in wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice that unexpectedly contained RasGRP4 mRNA and protein. In regard to the biologic significance of these data to innate immunity, LPS-treated splenic CD117+ DCs from WT mice induced natural killer (NK) cells to produce much more interferon-γ (IFN-γ) than comparable DCs from RasGRP4-null mice. The ability of LPS-responsive MCs to cause NK cells to increase their expression of IFN-γ was also dependent on this intracellular signaling protein. The discovery that RasGRP4 is required for CD117+ MCs and DCs to optimally induce acute NK cell-dependent immune responses to LPS helps explain why this signaling protein has been conserved in evolution.

Coronaviruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (SCoV) and mouse hepatitis virus A59 (MHV-A59) have evolved strategies to disable the innate immune system for productive replication and spread of infection. We have previously shown that papain-like protease domain 2 (PLP2), a catalytic domain of the nonstructural protein 3 (nsp3) of MHV-A59, encodes a deubiquitinase (DUB) and inactivates IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) thereby the type I interferon (IFN) response.

Human leukocyte antigen DP (HLA-DP) locus has been reported to be associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in populations of Japan and Thailand. We aimed to examine whether the association can be replicated in Han Chinese populations.

The definition of deep tissue injury was derived from multiple clinical cases as "A purple or maroon localized area of discolored intact skin or blood-filled blister due to damage of underlying soft tissue from pressure and/or shear". Acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) significantly improves wound healing under diabetic conditions. However, to date, the therapeutic application of aFGF has been limited, due to its low delivery efficiency and short half-life.

MicroRNAs (miRs) play important roles in modulating gene expression during the processes of tumorigenesis and tumor development. Previous studies have found that miR-145 is down-regulated in the stomach neoplasm and is related to tumor migration and invasion. However, both the molecular mechanism and function of miR-145 in gastric cancer remain unclear. The present study is the first demonstration of the significant down-regulation of miR-145 expression in infiltrative gastric cancer compared to expanding gastric cancer. Additionally, correlation analyses revealed strong inverse correlations between miR-145 and FSCN1 expression levels in infiltrative gastric cancer. Furthermore, we demonstrated that miR-145 directly targets FSCN1 and suppresses cell migration and invasion in gastric cancer. Knocking down the expression of FSCN1 led to the suppression of migration and invasion in gastric cancer cells, and re-expressing FSCN1 in miR-145-overexpressing cells reversed their migration and invasion defects. Thus, we concluded that miR-145 regulates cell migration and invasion in gastric cancer primarily by directly targeting FSCN1.

We conducted an investigation of blood management in which blood transfusion recipients underwent molecular biological analysis, to trace the possible source of HIV infection. Epidemiological investigation was carried out among HIV-infected individuals. Blood transfusion recipients infected with HIV were tracked for the date of transfusion, reason for transfusion, hospital where transfusion was received, source of blood, components of transfusion, number of transfusions, and transfusion volume. A total of 285 blood transfusion recipients infected with HIV-1 were detected in Hebei over the study period, with 42.81% (122/285) detected through clinical diagnostic testing. These cases showed a concentrated distribution in southern Hebei, with local outbreak characteristics. A census of the population in Shahe County, which had a high concentration of cases, revealed that recipients of blood transfusions had an HIV infection rate of 15.54% (92/592). Post-transfusion infection frequently occurred among blood transfusion recipients at township medical institutions, with a peak in 1995. Owing to late detection of HIV infection among blood transfusion recipients, the rates of spousal transmission and mother-to-child transmission reached 20.87% and 28.05%, respectively. Around 1995, community medical institutions did not screen for HIV antibodies among paid blood donors, which was an important cause of the outbreak of HIV-1 infection among blood transfusion recipients. Our findings indicate that cases of blood transfusion-related infection decreased rapidly with gradual improvement in the HIV screening system for blood donors that began in 1995, particularly after full implementation of HIV nucleic acid testing of volunteer blood donors was begun in 2015.

Angiogenesis is a crucial step in the growth and metastasis of cancers, since it enables the growing tumor to receive oxygen and nutrients. Cancer prevention using natural products has become an integral part of cancer control. We studied the antiangiogenic activity of quercetin using ex vivo, in vivo and in vitro models. Rat aortic ring assay showed that quercetin at non-toxic concentrations significantly inhibited microvessel sprouting and exhibited a significant inhibition in the proliferation, migration, invasion and tube formation of endothelial cells, which are key events in the process of angiogenesis. Most importantly, quercetin treatment inhibited ex vivo angiogenesis as revealed by chicken egg chorioallantoic membrane assay (CAM) and matrigel plug assay. Western blot analysis showed that quercetin suppressed VEGF induced phosphorylation of VEGF receptor 2 and their downstream protein kinases AKT, mTOR, and ribosomal protein S6 kinase in HUVECs. Quercetin (20 mg/kg/d) significantly reduced the volume and the weight of solid tumors in prostate xenograft mouse model, indicating that quercetin inhibited tumorigenesis by targeting angiogenesis. Furthermore, quercetin reduced the cell viability and induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells, which were correlated with the downregulation of AKT, mTOR and P70S6K expressions. Collectively the findings in the present study suggest that quercetin inhibits tumor growth and angiogenesis by targeting VEGF-R2 regulated AKT/mTOR/P70S6K signaling pathway, and could be used as a potential drug candidate for cancer therapy.

From November 2011 to January 2012, a number of clustering cases of HCV infection were reported in Zijin County, Heyuan City, Guangdong, China. Most patients in the clustering cases suspected that they could be infected due to inappropriate medical care in the clinic located at the Xiangshui road. However, the molecular epidemiology of the clustering cases remains unknown.

The role of BRCA dysfunction on the prognosis of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOCs) remains controversial. This systematic review tried to assess the role of BRCA dysfunction, including BRCA1/2 germline, somatic mutations, low BRCA1 protein/mRNA expression or BRCA1 promoter methylation, as prognostic factor in EOCs.

Patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) are at high risk for erectile dysfunction (ED) due to potential cavernous nerve (CN) damage during surgery. Penile hypoxia after RP is thought to significantly contribute to ED pathogenesis.

Only a small proportion of genetic variation in serum ferritin has been explained by variant genetic studies, and genome-wide association study (GWAS) for serum ferritin has not been investigated widely in Chinese population. We aimed at exploring the novel genetic susceptibility to serum ferritin, and performed this two stage GWAS in a healthy Chinese population of 3,495 men aged 20-69 y, including 1,999 unrelated subjects in the first stage and 1,496 independent individuals in the second stage. Serum ferritin was measured with electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, and DNA samples were collected for genotyping. A total of 1,940,243 SNPs were tested by using multivariate linear regression analysis. After adjusting for population stratification, age and BMI, the rs5742933 located in the 5'UTR region of PMS1 gene on chromosome 2 was the most significantly associated with ferritin concentrations (P-combined  = 2.329×10(-10)) (β  =  -0.11, 95% CI: -0.14, -0.07). Moreover, this marker was about 200 kb away from the candidate gene SLC40A1 which is responsible for iron export. PMS1 gene was the novel genetic susceptibility to serum ferritin in Chinese males and its relation to SLC40A1 needs further study.

The aberrant activation of Notch-1 signaling pathway has been proven to be associated with the development and progression of cancers. However, the specific roles and the underlying mechanisms of Notch-1 signaling pathway on the malignant behaviors of breast cancer are poorly understood. In this study, using multiple cellular and molecular approaches, we demonstrated that activation of Notch-1 signaling pathway promoted the malignant behaviors of MDA-MB-231 cells such as increased cell proliferation, colony formation, adhesion, migration, and invasion, and inhibited apoptosis; whereas deactivation of this signaling pathway led to the reversal of the aforementioned malignant cellular behaviors. Furthermore, we found that activation of Notch-1 signaling pathway triggered the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway and up-regulated the expression of NF-κB target genes including MMP-2/-9, VEGF, Survivin, Bcl-xL, and Cyclin D1. These results suggest that Notch-1 signaling pathway play important roles in promoting the malignant phenotype of breast cancer, which may be mediated partly through the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway. Our results further suggest that targeting Notch-1 signaling pathway may become a newer approach to halt the progression of breast cancer.

Prediction of disease-specific survival (DSS) for individual patient with gastric cancer after R0 resection remains a clinical concern. Since the clinicopathologic characteristics of gastric cancer vary widely between China and western countries, this study is to evaluate a nomogram from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) for predicting the probability of DSS in patients with gastric cancer from a Chinese cohort.

Inhibitors of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) have been widely used for characterizing CFTR function in epithelial fluid transport and in diseases such as secretory diarrhea, polycystic kidney disease and cystic fibrosis. Few small molecule CFTR inhibitors have been discovered so far from combinatorial compound library. In the present study, we used a high throughput screening (HTS)-based natural product discovery strategy to identify new CFTR inhibitors from Chinese medicinal herbs. By screening 40,000 small molecule fractions from 500 herbal plants, we identified 42 positive fractions from 5 herbs and isolated two compounds that inhibited CFTR conductance from Chinese wild grapevine (Vitis amurensis Rupr). Mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies determined the two active compounds as trans-ε-viniferin (TV) and r-2-viniferin (RV), respectively. Both compounds dose-dependently blocked CFTR-mediated iodide influx with IC50 around 20 μM. Further analysis by excised inside-out patch-clamp indicated strong inhibition of protein kinase A (PKA)-activated CFTR chloride currents by TV and RV. In ex vivo studies, TV and RV inhibited CFTR-mediated short-circuit Cl- currents in isolated rat colonic mucosa in a dose-dependent manner. In a closed-loop mouse model, intraluminal applications of TV (2.5 μg) and RV (4.5 μg) significantly reduced cholera toxin-induced intestinal fluid secretion. The present study identified two resveratrol oligomers as new CFTR inhibitors and validates our high-throughput screening method for discovery of bioactive compounds from natural products with complex chemical ingredients such as herbal plants.

Tissue microRNAs (miRNAs) can detect cancers and predict prognosis. Several recent studies reported that tissue, plasma, and saliva miRNAs share similar expression profiles. In this study, we investigated the discriminatory power of salivary miRNAs (including whole saliva and saliva supernatant) for detection of esophageal cancer.

Though remissions have been observed following allo-HSCT for the treatment of CLL, many CLL patients are ineligible for transplant due to the lack of HLA-compatible donors. The use of umbilical cord blood (UCB) permits transplantation of many patients who lack HLA-compatible donors due to reduced requirements for stringent HLA matching between graft and recipient; however, disease relapse remains a concern with this modality. The generation of CLL-specific CTL from UCB T-cells, primed and expanded against the leukemic clone, might enhance the GVL effect and improve outcomes with UCB transplantation. Here we report the generation of functional, CLL-specific CTL using CD40-ligated CLL cells to prime partially-HLA matched UCB T-cells. Functionality and specificity were demonstrated by immune synapse assay, IFN-γ ELISpot, multi-parametric intracellular cytokine flow cytometry, and (51)Cr release assay. The use of patient-specific, non-CLL controls demonstrated the generation of both alloantigen and CLL-specific responses. Subsequently, we developed a clinically-applicable procedure permitting separation of alloreactive CTL from leukemia-specific CTL. Leukemia-specific CTL were able to mediate in vivo killing of CLL in humanized mice without concurrent or subsequent development of xenoGVHD. Our results demonstrate that generation of CLL-specific effectors from UCB is feasible and practical, and the results support further exploration of this strategy as a treatment modality for CLL.

Though multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with type 2 diabetes have been identified, the genetic bases of isolated fasting hyperglycaemia (IFH) and isolated postprandial hyperglycaemia (IPH) were still unclear. In present study, we aimed to investigate the association of genome-wide association study-validated genetic variants and IFH or IPH in Han Chinese.

It has been suggested that excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress play an important role in ethanol-induced damage to both the developing and mature central nervous system (CNS). The mechanisms underlying ethanol-induced neuronal ROS, however, remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of NADPH oxidase (NOX) in ethanol-induced ROS generation. We demonstrated that ethanol activated NOX and inhibition of NOX reduced ethanol-promoted ROS generation. Ethanol significantly increased the expression of p47(phox) and p67(phox), the essential subunits for NOX activation in cultured neuronal cells and the cerebral cortex of infant mice. Ethanol caused serine phosphorylation and membrane translocation of p47(phox) and p67(phox), which were prerequisites for NOX assembly and activation. Knocking down p47(phox) with the small interfering RNA was sufficient to attenuate ethanol-induced ROS production and ameliorate ethanol-mediated oxidative damage, which is indicated by a decrease in protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation. Ethanol activated cell division cycle 42 (Cdc42) and overexpression of a dominant negative (DN) Cdc42 abrogate ethanol-induced NOX activation and ROS generation. These results suggest that Cdc42-dependent NOX activation mediates ethanol-induced oxidative damages to neurons.

As the amount of data from genome wide association studies grows dramatically, many interesting scientific questions require imputation to combine or expand datasets. However, there are two situations for which imputation has been problematic: (1) polymorphisms with low minor allele frequency (MAF), and (2) datasets where subjects are genotyped on different platforms. Traditional measures of imputation cannot effectively address these problems.